Improvement in machines for making eyelets



PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN O. RHODES, OF SOUTH ABINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MAKING EYELETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.7119,647, dated October3, 1871.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN O. RHODES, of South Abington, in the county ofPlymouth, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in the Manufactureof Eyelets; and I do hereby declare thatthe following', taken in connection with the drawing which accompaniesand forms part of this specification, is a description of my inventionsufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

My invention consists primarily in combining', with a machine to moldcup-shaped eyelet-blanks, as hereinafter set forth, a hopper with anorifice at bottom opening into a passage leading toward the moldinginstruments, the orifice permitting' the blank to pass only in theproper position, and mechanism to agitate the hopper and cause theblanks to assume such proper position, as hereinafter more particularlyset forth. The invention also consists in certain details in thearrangement and method of operation ofthe mechanism.

I will now describe the apparatus which I employ: The sheet metal ispunched into circular pieces and formed into plain cups without flanges,

by what is known as a compound or double punch, which, being so wellknown in the arts, needs no illustration by drawings. It will beperfectly understood from the following` brief description: The punch isa hollow steel cylinder with its cutting-edge at right angles to itsaxis, which descends toward and into a steel matrix into which it fits.The bottom of the matrix is pierced with a central hole of a diameterequal to the external diameter ofthe cups to be formed, and in the punchis tted a steel follower, which is of less diameter than the interior ofthe cups to be formed, said follower moving through and relatively tothe cutting-punch, forcing the punched circular disks of metal throughthe hole in the matrix in the form of plain cups, which drop off' fromthe follower below the matrix as the follower is withdrawn. The matrixin practice is made, preferably, somewhat conical or flaring from itsupper cutting-edge to the hole through which the cups are forced by thefollower. A cup formed by the described compound punch is shown at A inthe drawing. At this stage any defective cups, A, are picked out fromthe mass, for it is at this stage, if anywhere, that imperfecteyelet-blanks are most likely to be made. These cups frequently becomehardened, consequent upon the previous working' of the metal,

and in such case are, preferably, thoroughly annealed beforeintroduction into the machine for further operation. They are then putin quantities into the hopper of' a machine, in which they are subjectedto the operation of a follower and matrix, by which the open ends of thecups are flared or expanded and the bodies are reduced in diameter andare elongated, and in which, if desired, they may also have their endsremoved. A machine adapted for flaring and elon gating the cups, but not.for removing' the ends, is shown in front elevation in Fig. l and insectional elevation in Fig. 2. a is the shaft, to which motive power isapplied. On this shaft is a cam, c, by which the follower d is raised,said follower being retracted by spring c, the holder I) of the followerbeing located in suitable guides formed in or attached to the frame ofthe machine. Above the follower d is the stationary matrixj', into whichthe follower presses cup after cup, the form of the follower and theform ofthe matrix being such that the bottom or open end of the cup isiiared, and preferably such that the cup is also elongated, the'matrixbeing smaller in diameter than the outer diameter of the cup A. Thecompressed and iiared cup is left in the matrix when the followerdescends, (held there by friction,) and is discharged from the matrix,after the descent of the follower, by the action of a plunger, g, whichis depressed against a spring by the action of a lever, h, operated froma cam on the shaft a through a rod, t'. The hopper, which receives thecups All construct with one or more gateways or outlets of shapecorresponding with that of the cup A, but slightly larger, enough topermit the cups to pass through, the gateway being somewhat rounded atone of its sides similarly to the rounded end of the cup, so as toinsure with certainty the passage and presentation of each cup with itsproper side in the right position for the action of the stretching andhanging mechanism. From the hopper the blanks slide freely down throughthe chute to the end of the chute, where a slight spring retains thecolumn of cups and the end of the chute holds the end cup directly overthe axis of the follower, so that as the follower rises, its pointpasses into the cup, after which the chute retreats, (leaving the cup onthe follower,) so that the follower can rise and force the blank intothe matrix. To give this movement to the hopper it is mounted on alever, j, pivoted to the frame, so that it can receive a vibratorymovement which brings the endV of the chute leading from the hopper overthe follower L when in its lowest position, the chute remaining forwarduntil the follower moves upward, taking on its end one of the cups A,the cam 7c then operating to throw the chute-end back, after which thecam c forces the follower upward, the forward movement of the chutebeing made by the action of a spring, o. The rise of the follower isgradual and intermittent, but its descent is abrupt, it rising firstuntil the followerpin en ters the blank or cup, then stopping until thechute retreats, and then resuming its upward movement with the cup orblank on its point. lVithin the hopper a brush is arranged in anysuitable manner so as to receive motion from the vibrations imparted tothe hopper, and thus the cups are agitated so as to change theirpositions, and when in proper position they pass through gateways or agateway formed in the lowest part of the hopper, such gateway being ofsuch shape as to prevent egress from the hopper into the chute of anycups except such as are presented in the proper positions. Thefollower-pin first enters the cup and then stops until the chuteretreats, and then carries the cup up into the matrix. By the operationof the mechanism thus described the cups A are changed in form so as tobe in shape as represented at B in the drawing, and quantities of theseblanks B may then, if desired, be placed in the hopper of a machine,shown in front elevation in Fig. 3, which machine is very sinlilar tothe machine shown in Figs. l and 2, except that the former is replacedby apuneh, Z, and the matrix by a die, m, shown in sectional view inFig. 4, and the chute has attached to it a stripper, n, which draws offfrom the punch Z, at each descent, the eyelet, through the end of whichthe punch has passed,

to remove the end ofthe eyelet-blank, seen at B,

this operation forming an eyelet such as is seen at C. The openings fromthe hopper into the chute are varied in form to suit the shape of theblanks B, which can only escape into the chute ianged end downward. Thechutes of both of the machines shown are provided at their free endseach with a retaining spring which holds the eyelets from falling out,though yielding when, with the follower d in a cup A, or with the punchl in a blank B, either chute moves backward. When one and the samemachine is used to elongate and flange, as at B, and also to remove theend, as at C, the end may be removed by any well-known means, such asgrinding, cutting, milling, or punching.

Although I have described three diiferent machines-namely, one forcutting out the planchet and converting it into the cup-shaped blank A,another for imparting to the blanks A the form shown at B, and the thirdfor cutting out the closed end of blank B-I wish it to be understoodthat Imake no claim in this application to any specific mechanism otherthan is to be found in the second of the aforenamed machines, that,namely, for imparting to the blank shown at A the form of that shown atB, said machine being represented by Figs. l and 2 of the drawing.

I claiml. The combination, with a machine to mold a cup -shapedeyelet-blank such substantially as that represented at A, to the shapeof a finished eyelet, but with or without a bottom, as represented at Band C, of a hopper with an orifice at bottom opening into a passage orchute leading toward the molding instruments, said orifice be,- ing ofsuch shape and dimensions as to permit the passage through it of thecup-shaped blank, when and only when said blank is right-side up inregard to the molding instruments, and mechanism to agitate said hopperor the blanks within it, in order thereby to cause said blanks to assumeseverally the position proper to enable them to pass through the oriiiceof the hopper, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the chute, matrix, and follower, of mechanislnto ilnpart to said chute a vibratory movement, and to the follower twodestinct forward movements separated by the interval of time required toretract the chute, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the hopper, chute, vibrating-lever J, rotatingcams c and 7c, springs e and o, holder b, follower d, and matrix j',substantially as described.

JOHN C. RHODES.

Witnesses:

J. B. GRosRY, C. WARREN BROWN. (66)

